23 May 2023光傳媒#6477
Unpacking the “Malicious” Organ-Donation Cancellation Controversy: Health Department Staff Say People Can Cancel Even If Unsure They Are Registered
政府研究與中國建立恆常器官移植互助機制，醫衞局昨披露，過去5個月共有5,785個取消器官捐贈申請，一半屬從未登記卻申請退出或重複取消的無效申請，有傳媒形容是「惡意干擾」。《光傳媒》發現現行制度下，市民要查閱有否登記過器官捐贈程序繁複，而相關官網容許直接遞交取消申請。有衞生署前線職員承認，市民不肯定有否登記過器官捐贈，仍可以提交取消登記，「你唔肯定就自己取消咗先」。
The Government is studying the establishment of a regular mutual organ-transplant assistance mechanism with China. The Health Bureau disclosed yesterday that 5,785 organ-donation cancellation applications had been received over the past five months. Half were invalid applications from people who had never registered but applied to withdraw, or who submitted repeated cancellation requests, with some media describing them as “malicious interference”. 《光傳媒》 found that under the current system, it is complicated for members of the public to check whether they have ever registered as organ donors, while the relevant official website allows cancellation applications to be submitted directly. A frontline Health Department staff member acknowledged that people who are unsure whether they had previously registered as organ donors can still submit a cancellation request: “If you’re not sure, just cancel it first yourself.”
23 May 2023獨媒#6479
John Lee condemns cancellations of organ donation registrations by non-registrants as “suspicious”; police to investigate
行政長官李家超舉行行政會議前見記者，兩地目前正商討建立恆常器官移植機制，昨日政府發稿，指過去五個月有逾5,700宗取消器官捐贈登記，其中逾半從未登記或重覆取消，斥或意圖擾亂。李家超今日再被問及時指，指該些行徑「非常可疑既，破壞整個系統嘅行徑」，指為「恥辱」，對此嚴厲譴責，已要求警方調查是否涉及違法。
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu spoke to reporters before an Executive Council meeting. The two sides are currently discussing the establishment of a regular organ transplant mechanism. The Government said in a press release yesterday that there had been more than 5,700 cancellations of organ donation registrations over the past five months, of which more than half involved people who had never registered or repeated cancellations, and condemned the possibility that they were intended to cause disruption. Asked about the matter again today, Lee described the acts as “highly suspicious” and as actions that undermine the entire system, calling them a “disgrace”. He strongly condemned them and said he had asked the police to investigate whether any laws had been broken.
23 May 2023獨媒#6480
Hospital Authority distressed by “improper disruption” of organ donation system; reports say National Security Department may follow up
取消器官移植登記的事件繼續發酵，特首李家超今早開腔指過去5個月5,700宗取消登記，過半從未登記或重覆取消，他批評行徑是「非常可疑」、「恥辱」，要求警方調查。有傳媒引述消息稱，若涉及網上發表煽動性文章或言詞，或煽動市民憎恨中央及特區政府，將由警方國安處介入調查。醫管局代表下午見記者，強調兩地器官登記名冊獨立運作，以腎臟為例有二千多人排隊，每個捐出腎臟都用在本地病人，「點會有機會送上其他地方呢？」
The controversy over cancellations of organ donation registrations continued to intensify. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said this morning that 5,700 registrations had been cancelled over the past five months, with more than half involving people who had never registered or duplicate cancellations. He criticised the conduct as “highly suspicious” and “a disgrace”, and called for a police investigation. Media reports, citing sources, said that if the cases involved publishing seditious articles or remarks online, or inciting hatred of the central government and the HKSAR Government among the public, the Police National Security Department might intervene. Hospital Authority representatives met the press in the afternoon and stressed that the organ registration lists in the two places operate independently. Taking kidneys as an example, more than 2,000 people are waiting, and every donated kidney is used for a local patient: “How could there be any chance of them being sent elsewhere?”
22 May 2023獨媒#6473
Over 5,700 organ-donation registrations cancelled in five months; more than half unregistered or duplicate, government condemns possible disruption
醫務衞生局及醫院管理局正參考去年首次跨境器官捐贈移植的個案，探討與內地建立恆常機制。政府今日發稿指，留意到互聯網上有少數人歪曲器官捐贈的利他奉獻精神，對此表示遺憾。當局又指中央器官捐贈登記名冊，自去年12月至今年4月五個月期間，共收到5,785宗取消登記申請，遠高於過去數字。不過局方指其中逾一半（2,905個）從未登記或重覆取消，稱「不排除少數人的意圖是擾亂中央名冊的代表性及增加政府人員的行政負擔」，特區政府予以譴責。
The Health Bureau and the Hospital Authority are examining the first cross-boundary organ donation and transplant case last year to explore establishing a regular mechanism with the Mainland. The Government said in a statement today that it had noted a small number of people online distorting the altruistic spirit of organ donation and expressed regret. It said the Central Organ Donation Register received 5,785 applications to cancel registrations during the five months from December last year to April this year, far more than in previous periods. However, the bureau said more than half of them—2,905—had never been registered or were duplicate cancellation applications. It said it could not rule out that a small number of people intended to disrupt the representativeness of the Central Register and increase the administrative burden on government staff, and the HKSAR Government condemned this.
22 May 2023獨媒#6474
Government plans to allow prosecution appeals in national security acquittal cases; acquitted persons may be detained again under National Security Law
律政司建議修訂《刑事訴訟程序條例》，就高院沒有陪審團審訊的《國安法》案件，即使被3名指定法官裁定罪名不成立，律政司亦可以「案件呈述」（appeal by way of case stated）方式上訴，推翻無罪裁決，或者發還重審。律政司司長林定國今向立法會解釋，「將有罪的人判無罪釋放所造成的司法不公，不會小於將無辜的人定罪」，又指國安案件被告若獲「錯誤的無罪裁定」，可能引致極嚴重後果。
The Department of Justice has proposed amending the Criminal Procedure Ordinance to allow it to appeal by way of case stated against acquittals in National Security Law cases tried in the High Court without a jury, even when three designated judges have found the defendants not guilty. It could seek to overturn the acquittal or have the case sent back for retrial. Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok told the Legislative Council today that “the miscarriage of justice caused by acquitting and releasing a guilty person will be no less than convicting an innocent person,” and said that an “erroneous acquittal” of a defendant in a national security case could lead to extremely serious consequences.
19 May 2023獨媒#6465
Government Allocates Additional HK$5 Billion for National Security Expenditure; Not Mentioned in Budget, Added in Gazette Today
政府今年2月公布的《財政預算案》中，並沒有提及維護國家安全開支，已經是連續兩年無公布。不過在今日刊憲的政府帳目顯示，財政司經行政長官批准，增撥50億元維護國家安全開支。連同2021年預算案首次撥出的80億，香港有公布的維護國家安全開支已達130億元。
The Government’s Budget published in February this year did not mention expenditure on safeguarding national security, marking the second consecutive year that no such figure was announced. However, the Government accounts gazetted today show that, with the Chief Executive’s approval, the Financial Secretary allocated an additional HK$5 billion for national security expenditure. Including the HK$8 billion first allocated in the 2021 Budget, Hong Kong’s publicly announced national security expenditure has reached HK$13 billion.
19 May 2023明報#6468
School security: Police suggest installing CCTV in classrooms; Education Bureau says security systems require stakeholder consensus
警務處周二（16日）推出新網站「安全城市．香港」（SafeCity.HK），涵蓋「處所保安」資訊，下設「學校」分頁，列出學校保安一些「良好做法」，建議之一為在課室安裝閉路電視。教育局昨回覆查詢稱，學校安裝保安系統包括閉路電視屬校本決定，須審慎考慮其必要性、合理性、公開性，並取得持份者共識，在保安與私隱之間取得合理平衡。警方回覆，網站中的保安建議和良好做法分享旨在協助市民及不同機構預防罪案，例如偷竊、爆竊等，而有關機構應就實際情况考慮如何採納。
The Police launched the new “Safe City · Hong Kong” website, SafeCity.HK, on Tuesday (the 16th). Its “Premises Security” section includes a “Schools” page listing some “good practices” for school security, one of which is installing closed-circuit television in classrooms. In response to an inquiry yesterday, the Education Bureau said that installing security systems, including closed-circuit television, was a school-based decision. Schools must carefully consider the necessity, reasonableness and transparency of such systems, obtain consensus among stakeholders, and strike a reasonable balance between security and privacy. The Police said the security recommendations and good practices shared on the website were intended to help members of the public and different organisations prevent crimes such as theft and burglary, and that the organisations concerned should consider how to adopt them in light of their actual circumstances.
18 May 2023獨媒#6457
New Huanggang Port Studies Joint Inspection and Clearance Cooperation
興建中的新皇崗口岸，預料將於今年年底落成。2021年，時任保安局局長李家超曾稱將參考深圳灣口岸模式，於位處深圳的新皇崗口岸大樓設港方口岸區，並實施「一地兩檢」。不過保安局局長鄧炳強周三（5月17日）在立法會回覆議員口頭質詢時稱，指兩地政府積極研究推行「兩地一檢」，即「合作查驗、一次放行」通關模式。
The new Huanggang Port, which is under construction, is expected to be completed by the end of this year. In 2021, then Secretary for Security John Lee said the Shenzhen Bay Port model would be referenced, with a Hong Kong port area established in the new Huanggang Port building in Shenzhen and “one location, two inspections” implemented. However, Secretary for Security Chris Tang said in response to an oral question from a Legislative Council member on Wednesday (17 May) that the two governments were actively studying the implementation of “two places, one inspection”, namely a clearance model of “cooperative inspection and one-time release”.
17 May 2023獨媒#6450
Brownfield Guidelines Relaxed; Liber Research Community Says Move Conflicts with Northern Metropolis Strategy
城規會今年4月通過放寬棕地審批指引，逾320公頃原列為不會優先考慮或通常否決作貯物用途的土地，被改為較高機會獲批的類別。本研社上月舉行討論會，出席的環團皆憂棕地擴散，令優質農地被破壞。本土研究社則認為，放寬指引與「北部都會區」策略不符，日後都會或仍需與棕地為鄰。
In April this year, the Town Planning Board approved relaxed guidelines for brownfield applications, reclassifying more than 320 hectares of land previously listed as not a priority for consideration or generally subject to refusal for storage use into categories with a higher likelihood of approval. Environmental groups attending a discussion organised by the Liber Research Community last month all expressed concern that brownfields would spread and damage high-quality farmland. The Liber Research Community said the relaxed guidelines were inconsistent with the Northern Metropolis strategy, and that the development area might still have to coexist with brownfields in future.
17 May 2023獨媒#6451
Members of Junior Police Call Fall by 15,000 in Three Years as Seven Disciplined Services Run Youth Groups
現時7個紀律部隊及輔助隊轄下均有青少年制服團隊，保安局局長鄧炳強書面回覆立法會質詢時交代各團隊近年成員數目，其中逾15萬人的少年警訊成員連續兩年下跌，由2020年逾17萬人，每年遞減至去年16.1萬人。局方強調，去年整體制服團隊的活躍會員人數上升超過四分之一，仍遠超訂立的績效指標。
All seven disciplined services and auxiliary forces currently run youth uniformed groups. In a written reply to a Legislative Council inquiry, Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung gave the membership figures for the groups in recent years. Membership of Junior Police Call, which exceeds 150,000, fell for two consecutive years, declining annually from more than 170,000 in 2020 to 161,000 last year. The authorities stressed that the overall number of active members of uniformed groups rose by more than one-quarter last year and remained well above the performance indicators set.
Translations are supplied by the source workbook. Consult the original reporting for context.
